Clutch



Jan. 3, 1928. I 1,6541911' R. A. BARTHOLOMEW CLUTCH Filed Dec. 18, 19252 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN'VENTOR MW (kw A TTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1928. 1,654,911

R. A. BARTHOLOMEW CLUTCH Filed Dec. is. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I? j/INVENTQR wzmw W km ATTORNEY! position of the device.

Patented 192 8.

7 UNITED STAT.

ES. PJATENJT- OFFICE.

lumen!) a rmnotomnw, -or rnonx, mzw YORK.

Application filed December-'18, 1925. s mi m. 76,155.

This invention'relates to clutches and is .particularly useful inautomotive vehicles.

The-primary object is to provide an improved clutch ofsimpleconstructlon whlch is easy to operate, and has,]among otherthings, the advantages hereinafter pointed How the foregoing, togetherwith such other objects and advantages ,as may hereinline 2'2 of Fig. 1,and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sec# tion similar to-Fig. 1 butshowing another In this specificationmy 1nvention will be described inconnection with an automotive vehicle, although it may be advantageouslyused in connection with other forms of torque transmitting devices.

Referring to the drawings the reference letter A. indicates adriving'shaft connected to the source of motive power, in this instanceto the engine of the automotive vehicle, B the driven shaft connected toa device to be driven, in this instance to the differential.- throughthe medium of the universal shaft G, and the'reference letter Dindicates-ingeneralthe clutch through the, medium. of which the shafts Aand B are connected for rotation; r The clutch D comprises a pluralityof alternate steel and bronze plates or 7, alternate plates'beingconnected forrota tion with the sleeve 8 and'the drum 9, re.-spectively. The sleeve 8 is keyed to the drive ing shaft A and .thedrum-9 is keyed to the drlven shaft B Thus it will be seen that .whenthe discs are brought into frictional contact a dri g connection betweenthe two shafts.

is established .I propose to bring theclutch into frict onal'contactvery gradually so as to ensure smooth acceleration of the drivenshaft through the employment of the mechanism indicated as a=whole bythe reference letter E and to--be hereinafter fully described, saidmechanism also functwmng to the clutch collar 15 havin press thefriction members together with suflicient pressure to transmit therequired torque and to increase the pressure as the torque moreases,thus preventing slippage of the clutch with its consequent burning outof the discs orfriction elements. 7

The mechanism .E comprises a driving member 10 splined to the drivingsleeve'8;-

a driven member 11 splined to the drum 9, the'members 10 and 11 being-inthe form of relatively flat cones, preferably of hardenedsteel,positioned with their apices facing each other and spaced apart; and thetapered rollers 12 slidably mounted on the pins 13 of which there arepreferably three, which pins are, in turn, mounted on the carrier 14positioned between the. members 10 and 11. Referring to Fig. 2 it willbeseen that the pins: 13 are so disposed that their axes are not radialbut are somewhat inclined, in other words, the axes of the pins are sodisposed that if they were extended they would be tangential to a smallcircle concentric to the axis of the shafts A and B and the members 10and 11. The purpose of this" relation of the pins will appearhereinaftei'. The application, control-and operation of. the clutch isas follows.

sleeve8 is a grooved clutch collar 15 adapted to be moved back and forthon the sleeve by a clutch fork l5 engaging the move 16 in.

a roller 21 adapted to contact with the driven member 11 of themechanism E. L

Referring to the position of the device as shown in Fig. 1, it will beseen. that the clutch is disengaged, in which position the frictiondiscs 7 are not in frictional contact and the mechansm E is in itsinoperative position. In this position the driving member 10 is pulledagainst the shoulder 22 on the sleeve8 by the spring devices 23, and thedriven member 11 is pulled against the rollers 21 of the dogs 18 by thesprings 24, been moved to the left by manual operation of the clutchfork 1,5,

.Mounted slidably and idly on the" driving i to the'right It is herepointed out that the do s will have,

assume the .position indicated in Upon releasing the cluch fork the collar 15 is moved to the'right under influence of the spring'25 which:causes the do s 18 to The dogs by virtue the driven member bringing itsconical surface into contact with the rollers-12 and moving saidrollers" and the carrier 14 with it until contact is made with thedriving member 10.

of their engagement with "assumedoa past centerposition, t, us lockingtion of the clutch collar. This-is about the axis them in such positionuntil further oper'a clearly pointed out that shown in Fig. 3.- It isalso light as its work the spring 25 may be .very.

is merely to move and the relatively light'n'iember -11. 4 With the.parts in-the above position it .willdoe seen that since one conicalmember revolves with the driving shaft and the" other with thedrumrelative motion exists between the two, and since the three rollers areided by their pins. and adapted to'rotate odily with the carrier contactbetween the members and the the clutch collar, the dogs- 11, cause it tobe-moved.

on the sleeve 8, J

rollers results in rotation of the rollers about their own axesandrotationof'the carr1er= of the clutchata speed half way between thatof the -.members. This Icou led-with the fact that the roller pins areaxes and 111C rollers to describe a path on the face of the members-inthe form-of a spiral approaching the center, that is, the apices of. theplates ormembers 10 and 11, and this at a speed depending -on'- theinclination of the roller the speed of the driving shaft A.

This movement forces themembers tween the clutch discs causing thediflerence between the speeds of the driving and driven plates ;toapproach zero which it finally reaches when sufiicient pressure. has

been applied to the clutch discs to transmit In this-connection it.

the required torque. is ointed' out that any increase in torque wiresult in aftendency for the clutch to slip,

hence relative motion'between the driving and driven members,

a further approach of the rollers-toward the center, additionalseparation of -the conical members, and

greater pressure on-the'jclutch plates .until reached.

equilibrium is again 4 'clutch'colla'r 15 to the Upon moving the leftthe various parts separate and the rollers12- move toward the of the carrier 14 under influence of the leaf springs 26, whichsprin are anchoredto the carrier 14 in anysuita 1e manner (see Fig.

In the event of wear in the clutch plates 1 or associated parts anadjustment of position ofthe'dogs 18 may be effected bymoving the screw.threaded'ring 20 in or out as the case maybe, an adjustment ofequal 1 0andv 1L apart and produces frictional contact beed ashereinbeforedescribed causes the ing the groove the: required torque.

- Through the practice of controlling. element transmission case and issubjected to a bath of oil.

"able carrier,

of the clutch collar 15 hav- 16, for whichpurpose this portion of thecollar is screw threaded to the other; portion thereof While I havedescribed my invention in connection with a multiplate disc clutch-it isto, be understood that the advantages thereof that portion of may bederived inconnection with other for example, cone "(5 types of clutchesas, c utches;

Fromtheforegoing it will be'seen that the clutch elementsare. notsubject to burning out because of the fact "that immediately the clutchelements is increased'to transmit my invention the usual thrust bearingsand heavy springs are of the clutch in proportion tothe speed of amountand opposite in direction being made a "the clutch tends to slip thefriction between be ap lied-.86

clutch is the driving element, under the rotating influenceof WhlOh theclutch is gradually app i 1 a As shown. the clutch is nounted in the 1What I'claim is 1.'In a clutch,-the combination of a driving, element, adriven element movable to ward. and from the -elementrsaid elementshaving conically surfaces, and a plurality of. rollers interposedbetween said elements and movable toward and from the axis' of rotationof rmed. adjacent said elements on axes. tangential to a circle.

concentric with the axis of said elements.

- 2. In a clutch, the combination of a conical drivin element; a conicaldriven element mova le toward and from .the drivingelement, theconicalsurfaces of saidLele gagemenlr of the clutch including a rotata plurahtyof pins mounted on said' .carrier and having their axes. tangcn 'mentsbeing adjacent; and ,means between 118 said elements adapted to"causegradual ential to a circle concentric with theaxis of 120' saidcarrieri and a pluralityrofrollers sli v ng sh driven shaft, a frlctionclutch a cone-shaped ably carrie bythe pins.

3.- The combination of a disc mounted to rotate with the driving shaftbut longitudinally movable therealong,

and normally idle rollers adapted to be moved .to engage the inclinedface offthe cone shaped disc and move. it" againstjthe clutch to causeent thereof," said longitudinally of said elements, and a plurahty ofrollers between said conical mem- 15' here adapted to engage saidmembers upon longitudinal movement of the driven comcal member, the'axesof said rollers being so dis d that said engagement causes said rol ersto travel toward the apices ofthe 20 conical members whereby togradually engage the discs with one another.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

RAYMOND A. BABTHOLOMEW.

